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Diesel and Dust

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Diesel and Dust
Studio albumby
Midnight Oil
Released2 August 1987
RecordedJanuary–April 1987
StudioAlbert(Sydney)
GenreAlternative rock
Length46:37
LabelSprint /Columbia
ProducerWarne Livesey,Midnight Oil
Midnight Oilchronology
Species Deceases
(1985) 		Diesel and Dust
(1987) 		Blue Sky Mining
(1990)
SinglesfromDiesel and Dust
  1. "The Dead Heart"
    Released: August 1986
  2. "Beds Are Burning"
    Released: August 1987
  3. "Put Down That Weapon"
    Released: December 1987
  4. "Dreamworld"
    Released: 1988

Diesel and Dustis the sixthstudio albumby AustralianrockbandMidnight Oil,released in August 1987 by SPRINT Music label underColumbia Records.Diesel and Dustwas produced byWarne Liveseyand the band. It is a concept album about the struggles ofIndigenous Australiansand environmental causes, issues important to the band. It drew inspiration from the Blackfella/Whitefella Tour of remote Indigenous communities with theWarumpi BandandGondwanalandin 1986. The album peaked at No. 1 on the AustralianKent Music ReportAlbums Chart for six weeks.

Diesel and Dusthas been critically lauded since its release.Rolling Stoneeditors named it the best album of 1988 (the year of its United States release),[1]and later ranked it the 13th greatest record of the 1980s.[2][3]In October 2010,Diesel and Dustwas listed at number 1 in the book,100 Best Australian Albums.[4]In December 2021, the album was listed at no. 5 inRolling Stone Australia's "200 Greatest Albums of All Time" countdown.[5]

Background[edit]

Midnight Oil spent several months in mid-1986 on the Blackfella/Whitefella Tour ofoutback Australiawith indigenous music groupsWarumpi BandandGondwanaland,playing to remote Aboriginal communities and seeing first hand the seriousness of the issues in health and living standards.[6]The tour was criticised by some journalists for being a one-off event instead of a long-term attempt to build bridges between communities.[7]The band was galvanised by the experiences and made them the basis of their next album,Diesel and Dust,which was released in August 1987 and produced byWarne Liveseyand the band.[8]The album focused on the need for recognition by white Australia of past injustices involving the Aboriginal nation and the need for reconciliation.Peter Giffordleft the band before the album's release due to extensive touring schedules,[9]and was replaced on bass guitar byBones Hillman,formerly ofThe Swingers.[8]The track "Gunbarrel Highway" was not included on the United States version of the album, reportedly, because the line "shit falls like rain on a world that is brown" was deemed too offensive for US audiences.[10]

Diesel and Dustpeaked at No. 1 on the Australian albums charts for six weeks,[11]No. 21 on the USBillboard200in 1988,[12]and No. 19 on theUK Albums Chart.[13]"Beds Are Burning"was their biggest international hit single, peaking at No. 6 in Australia,[11]No. 17 on the USBillboardHot 100[14]and No. 6 on theUK Singles Chart.[13]"The Dead Heart" peaked at No. 4 in Australia,[11]and charted on the Hot 100[14]and in the UK.[13]"Put Down that Weapon" also charted in Australia,[11]while "Dreamworld" charted onBillboard'sMainstream Rock Tracksand at No. 16 on itsModern Rock Tracks.[14]

At theAustralian Recording Industry Association(ARIA)1988 Awardsceremony, Midnight Oil won "Best Cover Art"forDiesel and Dust.The album cover was designed by photographer Ken Duncan (b.1954, Mildura, VIC) and visual artist Wart (also known as Jen Waterhouse) (b.1958, Geelong, VIC). It also won "Best Single"and"Best Song"for"Beds Are Burning".[15][16]A fracas developed between Gary Morris, their manager who was accepting awards for Midnight Oil, and formerCountdowncompereIan Meldrumwho was presenting: Meldrum objected to Morris making political commentary from the podium.[16]

There were concerns aboutDiesel and Dustand Midnight Oil's attempts to expressindigenous issuestowhiteurban audiences – namely, the question "who holds the power to tell whose history?"[7]The lyrics of "The Dead Heart" tell the story ofcolonisationfrom an indigenouspoint of view,but some critics felt they reinforced the "primitive"stereotype.[7]Use of thebullroarerwas criticised as belonging to sacred rituals, and therefore not appropriate for rock songs.[7]"The Dead Heart" had been written in response to a request by organisers of the 1985 ceremony to return control ofUluruto its indigenouscaretakers;Midnight Oil originally resisted being added to a concert bill that they believed should contain indigenous groups, but the organisers insisted, arguing that the band would reach a wider audience within the predominantlyCaucasianurban centres.[17]Midnight Oil requested that allroyaltiesfrom the song go toindigenous communities.[18]In addition, two indigenous groups, Warumpi Band and Gondwanaland, toured with them.

Following the 1988 American tour in support ofDiesel and Dustwith Australian bandYothu Yindi,Midnight Oil launched theBurning Bridgesalbum with various artists contributing, includingPaul Kelly,Scrap Metal, Coloured Stone,Hunters & Collectors,James Reyne,The Saints,Crowded House,andINXS.[6]All sales proceeds were donated to the National Coalition of Aboriginal Organisations.[6]

During 1989 to 1993 and 1998 to 2002,Peter Garrett,the band's lead singer, was the President of theAustralian Conservation Foundation,whilst during 1993 to 1998 he was on the International Board ofGreenpeace.[19]In 1990 Midnight Oil played an impromptu lunchtime set in front ofExxonheadquarters in New York with a banner reading, "Midnight Oil Makes You Dance, Exxon Oil Makes Us Sick," protesting theExxon Valdez oil spillthe previous year.[9]

"Arctic World" was written by Jim Moginie and Peter Garrett and runs for 4 minutes, 21 seconds. The song is about mining and oil drilling in Greenland and Alaska,[20]and was meant to bring attention to the harmful effects these activities have on the environment.[20][21]

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[22]
Daily Record[23]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[24]
Los Angeles Times[25]
PopMatters9/10[26]
Rolling Stone[27]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[28]
Tom Hull – on the WebB+[29]
The Village VoiceB+[30]

According to Australian rock music historianIan McFarlane,Midnight Oil "reached the peak of its powers with the release of the groundbreakingDiesel and Dust... [it] is arguably one of the greatest Australian albums of all time. Powerful, dynamic and passionate songs like 'Beds are Burning', 'Put Down that Weapon', 'Dreamworld', 'The Dead Heart' and 'Sell My Soul' were statements of intent and a call to action backed by the strength of their convictions ".[6]Mark Deming ofAllMusiccalled the record "an artistic success and a triumph for leftist politics" which "makes clear that the bandmembers could apply their intelligence and passion to less aggressive material and still come up with forceful, compelling music".[22]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written byPeter Garrett,Rob Hirst,Jim Moginie,except where noted

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Beds Are Burning"4:14
2."Put Down That Weapon"4:38
3."Dreamworld"3:36
4."Arctic World"Garrett, Moginie4:21
5."Warakurna"Moginie4:38
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."The Dead Heart"5:10
7."Whoah"Garrett, Moginie3:50
8."Bullroarer"4:59
9."Sell My Soul"Garrett, Moginie3:35
10."Sometimes"3:53
Not included on the vinyl and cassette releases or the original US CD release.
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Gunbarrel Highway"Garrett,Peter Gifford,Hirst, Moginie,Martin Rotsey3:38

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[44] 7× Platinum 490,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[45] 3× Platinum 300,000^
France (SNEP)[46] 2× Platinum 600,000*
Germany (BVMI)[47] Platinum 500,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[48] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[49] Platinum 15,000^
Switzerland (IFPISwitzerland)[50] 2× Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[51] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[52] Platinum 1,000,000^

*Sales figures based on certification alone.
^Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Personnel[edit]

Midnight Oil
Additional musicians
  • Glad Reed - trombone
  • John Ockwell - cello
  • Jeremy Smith - French horn
Production
  • Midnight Oil - production
  • Warne Livesey- production, additional keyboards
  • Guy Gray - engineering
  • Greg Henderson - engineering(6)
  • Gary Morris - management (credited as "facilitator" )

References[edit]

  1. ^"End of Year Critic Lists: 1988".Rolling Stone.Archived at Rocklist.net. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  2. ^"100 Best Albums of the Eighties: Midnight Oil,Diesel and Dust".Rolling Stone.Retrieved17 July2014.
  3. ^McCarthy, Sean (6 May 2013)."'Power and the Passion': An Interview with Midnight Oil ".PopMatters.Sarah Zupko.Retrieved17 July2014.
  4. ^O'Donnell, John;Creswell, Toby;Mathieson, Craig(October 2010).100 Best Australian Albums.Prahran, Vic:Hardie Grant Books.ISBN978-1-74066-955-9.
  5. ^Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Australian Albums of All Time.Rolling Stone Australia,Rolling Stone Australia,06 December 2021. Retrieved 06 December 2021.
  6. ^abcdMcFarlane, Ian(1999)."Encyclopedia entry for 'Midnight Oil'".Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop.Allen & Unwin.ISBN1-86448-768-2.Archived fromthe originalon 13 August 2004.
  7. ^abcdVellutini, Laetitia (30 September 2012)."Finding a Voice on Indigenous Issues: Midnight Oil's Inappropriate Appropriations".The Australian Public Intellectual Network.Archived fromthe originalon 30 September 2012.Retrieved24 April2012.
  8. ^abHolmgren, Magnus; Stenerlöv, Carl-Johan."Midnight Oil".Australian Rock Database.Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren). Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2012.Retrieved12 February2014.
  9. ^abEd Nimmervoll(ed.)."Midnight Oil".Howlspace. Archived fromthe originalon 26 July 2012.Retrieved22 January2014.
  10. ^The Dead HeartMidnight Oil FAQ, retrieved 11 March 2007.
  11. ^abcdKent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992.St Ives, NSW:Australian Chart Book Ltd.ISBN0-646-11917-6.Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 untilAustralian Recording Industry Association(ARIA) created their ownchartsin mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
  12. ^"Midnight Oil – Charts & Awards –BillboardAlbums ".allmusic.Retrieved21 October2008.
  13. ^abc"The Official Charts Company Midnight Oil".Official Charts Company.Retrieved22 October2008.
  14. ^abc"Midnight Oil – Charts & Awards –BillboardAlbums ".allmusic.Retrieved22 October2008.
  15. ^"ARIA Awards 2008: History: Winners by Artist search result for Midnight Oil".Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).Retrieved25 August2008.[dead link]
  16. ^ab"ARIA Awards 2008: History: Winners by Year search result for 1988".Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived fromthe originalon 26 September 2007.Retrieved24 October2008.
  17. ^"Midnight Oil: a band with a conscience".BBC. 11 February 2005.Retrieved23 October2008.
  18. ^"Memorable TV – L to M".Memorable TV. Archived fromthe originalon 17 October 2008.Retrieved22 October2008.
  19. ^"Peter Garrett Entry".Long Way to the Top.Australian Broadcasting Corporation(ABC). 2001. Archived fromthe originalon 14 September 2001.Retrieved24 October2008.
  20. ^ab"Midnight Oil - Arctic World Lyrics".Songmeanings.com.Retrieved29 May2020.
  21. ^Midnight Oil#International success and activism: 1985–2002
  22. ^abDeming, Mark."Diesel and Dust– Midnight Oil ".AllMusic.Retrieved2 October2015.
  23. ^Dingwall, John (20 June 2008)."Albums".Daily Record.Retrieved1 March2022.
  24. ^Larkin, Colin(2011).The Encyclopedia of Popular Music(5th concise ed.).Omnibus Press.ISBN978-0-85712-595-8.
  25. ^Willman, Chris (6 March 1988)."Burning Midnight Oil".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved10 October2015.
  26. ^Gilstrap, Andrew (19 June 2008)."Midnight Oil: Diesel and Dust".PopMatters.Retrieved16 June2018.
  27. ^Fricke, David(7 April 1988)."Midnight Oil:Diesel And Dust".Rolling Stone.Archived fromthe originalon 11 November 2007.Retrieved2 October2015.
  28. ^Fricke, David(2004). "Midnight Oil". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.).The New Rolling Stone Album Guide(4th ed.).Simon & Schuster.pp.541–42.ISBN0-7432-0169-8.
  29. ^Hull, Tom (8 November 2023)."Grade List: Midnight Oil".Tom Hull – on the Web.Retrieved11 November2023.
  30. ^Christgau, Robert(14 March 1989)."Christgau's Consumer Guide".The Village Voice.New York.Retrieved29 April2013.
  31. ^abKent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992.St Ives, NSW:Australian Chart Book.ISBN0-646-11917-6.NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 untilARIAcreated their ownchartsin mid-1988.
  32. ^"Top RPM Albums: Issue 8699".RPM.Library and Archives Canada.Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  33. ^"Offiziellecharts.de – Midnight Oil – Diesel and Dust"(in German).GfK Entertainment Charts.Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  34. ^"Dutchcharts.nl – Midnight Oil – Diesel and Dust"(in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  35. ^"Charts.nz – Midnight Oil – Diesel and Dust".Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  36. ^"Swedishcharts.com – Midnight Oil – Diesel and Dust".Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  37. ^"Swisscharts.com – Midnight Oil – Diesel and Dust".Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  38. ^"Midnight Oil | Artist | Official Charts".UK Albums Chart.Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  39. ^"Midnight Oil Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  40. ^"Top Selling Albums of 1987 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart".Recorded Music New Zealand.Retrieved5 February2022.
  41. ^"Jaaroverzichten – Album 1988".dutchcharts.nl.Retrieved18 February2021.
  42. ^"Top Selling Albums of 1988".Recorded Music NZ.Retrieved18 February2022.
  43. ^"Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1988".Billboard.Retrieved17 March2021.
  44. ^"ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2014 Albums"(PDF).Australian Recording Industry Association.Retrieved31 December2014.
  45. ^"Canadian album certifications – Midnight Oil – Diesel and Dust".Music Canada.Retrieved18 July2022.
  46. ^"French album certifications – Midnight Oil – Diesel and Dust"(in French).Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.Retrieved18 July2022.
  47. ^"Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Midnight Oil;'Diesel and Dust') "(in German).Bundesverband Musikindustrie.Retrieved18 July2022.
  48. ^"Dutch album certifications – Midnight Oil – Diesel and Dust"(in Dutch).Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.Retrieved18 July2022.EnterDiesel and Dustin the "Artiest of titel" box.Select1996in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  49. ^"New Zealand album certifications – Midnight Oil – Diesel & Dust".Recorded Music NZ.Retrieved18 July2022.
  50. ^"The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Diesel and Dust') ".IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.Retrieved2 May2022.
  51. ^"British album certifications – Midnight Oil – Diesel and Dust".British Phonographic Industry.Retrieved18 July2022.
  52. ^"American album certifications – Midnight Oil – Diesel and Dust".Recording Industry Association of America.Retrieved18 July2022.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diesel_and_Dust&oldid=1217987201"